TY - JOUR
T1 - Survival in patients with severe lymphopenia following treatment with radiation and chemotherapy for newly diagnosed solid tumors
AU - Grossman, Stuart A.
AU - Ellsworth, Susannah
AU - Campian, Jian
AU - Wild, Aaron T.
AU - Herman, Joseph M.
AU - Laheru, Dan
AU - Brock, Malcolm
AU - Balmanoukian, Ani
AU - Ye, Xiaobu
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© JNCCN-Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
PY - 2015/10/1
Y1 - 2015/10/1
N2 - Background: The immune system plays an important role in cancer surveillance and therapy. Chemoradiation can cause severe treatment-related lymphopenia (TRL) (<500 cells/mm3) that is associated with reduced survival. Materials and Methods: Data from 4 independent solid tumor studies on serial lymphocyte counts, prognostic factors, treatment, and survival were collected and analyzed. The data set included 297 patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma (N=96), resected pancreatic cancer (N=53), unresectable pancreatic cancer (N=101), and non-small cell lung cancer (N=47). Results: Pretreatment lymphocyte counts were normal in 83% of the patient population, and no patient had severe baseline lymphopenia. Two months after initiating chemoradiation, 43% developed severe and persistent lymphopenia (P=.001). An increased risk for death was attributable to TRL in each cancer cohort (gliomas: hazard rate [HR], 1.8; 95% CI, 1.13-2.87; resected pancreas: HR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.17-4.12; unresected pancreas: HR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.53-5.42; and lung: HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.8-3.61) and in the entire study population regardless of pathologic findings (HR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.54-2.78; P<.0001). Severe TRL was observed in more than 40% of patients 2 months after initiating chemoradiation, regardless of histology or chemotherapy regimen, and was independently associated with shorter survival from tumor progression. Conclusions: Increased attention and research should be focused on the cause, prevention, and reversal of this unintended consequence of cancer treatment that seems to be related to survival in patients with solid tumors.
AB - Background: The immune system plays an important role in cancer surveillance and therapy. Chemoradiation can cause severe treatment-related lymphopenia (TRL) (<500 cells/mm3) that is associated with reduced survival. Materials and Methods: Data from 4 independent solid tumor studies on serial lymphocyte counts, prognostic factors, treatment, and survival were collected and analyzed. The data set included 297 patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma (N=96), resected pancreatic cancer (N=53), unresectable pancreatic cancer (N=101), and non-small cell lung cancer (N=47). Results: Pretreatment lymphocyte counts were normal in 83% of the patient population, and no patient had severe baseline lymphopenia. Two months after initiating chemoradiation, 43% developed severe and persistent lymphopenia (P=.001). An increased risk for death was attributable to TRL in each cancer cohort (gliomas: hazard rate [HR], 1.8; 95% CI, 1.13-2.87; resected pancreas: HR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.17-4.12; unresected pancreas: HR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.53-5.42; and lung: HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.8-3.61) and in the entire study population regardless of pathologic findings (HR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.54-2.78; P<.0001). Severe TRL was observed in more than 40% of patients 2 months after initiating chemoradiation, regardless of histology or chemotherapy regimen, and was independently associated with shorter survival from tumor progression. Conclusions: Increased attention and research should be focused on the cause, prevention, and reversal of this unintended consequence of cancer treatment that seems to be related to survival in patients with solid tumors.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84944747759&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.6004/jnccn.2015.0151
DO - 10.6004/jnccn.2015.0151
M3 - Article
C2 - 26483062
AN - SCOPUS:84944747759
SN - 1540-1405
VL - 13
SP - 1225
EP - 1231
JO - JNCCN Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
JF - JNCCN Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
IS - 10
ER -